Solvents are often packaged and sold in large containers containing a volume of solvent that exceeds the volume required for the immediate needs of a user. However, transferring a required volume of a solvent from a large container to a smaller container is fraught with difficulties. Large containers are difficult to handle due to their size, and handling large containers to remove a volume of liquid carries the risk of spills and the escape of dangerous fumes, which is a health, fire, and explosion hazard. Moreover, repeated access to the containers increases the risk of contaminating the material in the containers.
Several systems and methods for transferring solvents from large stock containers to smaller containers are known. However, many of the known systems are pressurized. The drawback of such pressurized systems is that the pressurized containers are hard to ship across international borders and must be returned to the supplier as they are quite expensive. Other known systems use electrical components, but with such systems there exists the possibility of electrical sparks from electrical components, which presents a serious problem, as the solvents being handled are highly flammable and any amount of spark can ignite them. In addition, many known systems rely heavily on the use of specialized components, which increases costs and impedes the implementation of such systems. A need therefore exists for a simple system which, where possible, uses off-the-shelf components, and which minimizes the risks and inconveniences of transferring solvents from large to smaller containers.